THE decision reached by Ricky Ponting that his time at the highest level is over was greeted with much respect by the cricket-mad nation of India yesterday.

The news bulletins here barely changed their lead item throughout the day, with the Australian given pride of place, despite the controversy over the state of the Eden Gardens pitch and its preparation.

But if the supporters of Sachin Tendulkar believed that the news would allow their man some breathing space ahead of the third Test in Kolkata, they were much mistaken.

Plenty here took Ponting’s decision as an omen that not one, but two, greats might be about to hang up their batting gloves in the same week.

Ponting called time after admitting that his contribution to the Australian cause was no longer good enough.

“I just haven’t been performing consistently over the last 12 to 18 months,” he said.

“I believe now is the right time.”

I just haven’t been performing consistently over the last 12 to 18 months

Ricky Ponting

In the two drawn Tests of Australia’s current series against South Africa, Ponting has contributed just 20 runs, scant adornment to a career in which he has score 13,366 Test runs since 1995.

“It is a decision I thought long and hard about,” he added.

“It was based on my output and my results in this series so far. It hasn’t been what I expect of myself.”

The echoes are resonating all the way to Mumbai.

Tendulkar has contributed 29 runs in three innings in the series against England – a continuation of a general decline that has seen him fail to score a Test century since January 2011.

In that time the man they call the Little Master, who started his career aged 16 years and 223 days back in Karachi in 1989, has scored 870 runs at 31.07.

In 2012 he has scored 274 runs at 22.83.

In this series his average is less than 10.

The figures are all heading in a downward direction now and the speculation that his time has come, once unthinkable and unheard of, is becoming louder.

Tendulkar’s practice session, both yesterday and the day before, was to have as many as a dozen Mumbai Cricket Association under-25 team bowlers toil away in the prime time heat of the afternoon.

It has him in fine form, according to the observers, including an MCA official who said: “He has looked particularly good against the spinners.”

But other, less partisan reports, claimed the batsman was asked about his future plans at the board selection meeting [which selected for Kolkata, but not Nagpur] in Mumbai on Tuesday and specifically about his possible retirement from the game.

Several accounts had it that Tendulkar told them it was “their call” to decide on his future, but it effectively communicated his desire to keep his position in the team, which is a move that is as good as writing his own name on the teamsheet.

Tendulkar is clearly not the force he was.

His eyes are not seeing the ball as sharply, though to be fair to him in the Mumbai Test he got an unplayable delivery from Monty Panesar in the first innings.

But if he is struggling to call time on a two-decade period during which he has been the central pillar of Indian sport, it is perhaps no surprise he is developing a frog in his throat.

India legend Rahul Dravid, who called time on his own career in March, has been a supportive voice.

“It is going to be very important for senior players to stand up in Kolkata and who better to do that than Sachin,” he said.

To witness a Tendulkar century in Kolkata would be quite something and would probably hasten, not postpone, his retirement.

But maybe having reached that point the brave thing to do would be to follow Ponting’s example.

The former Australian captain was yesterday flanked by his wife Rianna and his daughters Emmy and Mattise, which was understandable.

Behind them stood every member of the Australian team, which said much more.

Ponting said: “I’ve said all along that I would continue to play as long as I could continue to make a contribution to wins and I think over the last couple of weeks my performance has not been good enough to do that.”

Ponting, who will continue to play for Tasmania in Sheffield Shield cricket and Hobart in the Big Bash, starts his final appearance and 168th Test starting today at the WACA.

It will equal Steve Waugh’s Australian record of 168 Test appearances and, should there be a successful outcome, it will be not only a 109th Test win, but enough to return his country to the top of the Test rankings.

That would be a way to go. Sachin Tendulkar is too shrewd not to take note.CRICKET: ..ANOTHER IS ON THE BRINKCRICKET: AS ONE LEGEND RETIRES...